Add Sparkle to a Senior’s Holidays with These 5 Tips

09 Dec Add Sparkle to a Senior’s Holidays with These 5 Tips

Making sure that your loved one has superior home health care is just one way of providing the care they need. 

“Aside from the potentially deadly physical effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis poses even more risks for senior citizens: Crippling loneliness, anxiety, and depression stemming from the isolation they face as a high-risk group,” says Jessica Sager, writing for Parade. 

“Elderly persons who are already at risk of feeling alone during the Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year season and their respective celebrations may feel even lower this year as populations around the world are encouraged to stay home and continue social distancing amid spikes in infection rates,” she says.

Sager turned to experts for suggestions on how to help seniors navigate this unprecedented holiday season. 

Here are some of the ways she says that you can help senior citizens have a happy holiday:

1. Get your flu shot. “No matter what you do this holiday season, [Dr. Ronan Factora of The Cleveland Clinic‘s Center for Geriatric Medicine] says getting your flu shot as soon as possible and masking up will keep everyone safer and can potentially shorten the length of lockdowns,” Sager writes. 
2. Wear a mask. (But you knew that already, right?)
3. Write a letter. “Send handwritten letters, cards, and notes to seniors to keep their spirits up. The hard copies of your sentiments will give them something to hold onto, look back on, read, and cherish, even when you’re not physically together.”
4. Go for a walk. If the weather permits, getting out is a great way to boost spirits. If you can’t physically join in, you can tag along virtually via phone. 
5. Start a book club using Zoom. Sager says, “To keep the holiday spirit, check out books like Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien, A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, The Christmas Train by David Baldacci, and the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.”

If you would like to speak with a homecare consultant about providing in-home healthcare for someone you love – during the holidays and beyond, please contact us.